Mahoning County combines housing grants to expand repairs and lead-abatement services

Mahoning County grants manager Anna told county commissioners the office is combining multiple housing grants so the county can help more residents with repairs and lead-abatement work.

Anna said the county is bringing together a “HUD lead grant,” a State of Ohio Department of Development CHIP grant (Community Housing Impact and Preservation Program), and a Lead Safe Ohio grant. “We try to put as much, brand as much funding together so we can service more people, taking money from different different spots,” Anna said.

The combination of funds, Anna said, reflects a typical approach in which county staff layer federal, state and other grant awards to cover more projects and households than a single funding source would allow. Commissioners and others thanked staff for the work of coordinating the grants.

County officials did not specify a total dollar amount for the combined funding in the meeting record. The remarks about the grants occurred during the department-head reports; no separate motion or ordinance specific to a single new grant award was recorded in the transcript excerpt provided.

The discussion appeared as part of the county’s regular grants-management updates and was followed by routine business on the agenda.